Chapter 19

Cheng Zhiyu nervously gripped the crossbow, then noticed the wind sounds around him gradually subsiding.

Little Black’s voice came: "It's a hit!"

Cheng Zhiyu reached up and removed the blindfold, looking down at the zombies below. Without the wind-type zombie controlling them, the horde immediately fell into disarray, no longer charging forward in an organized manner.

Xiao Er was happily burning zombies, one fireball at a time.

Cheng Zhiyu and Little Black simultaneously leaped off the roof and charged into the zombie horde. In no time, what had seemed like a large group of zombies was completely wiped out.

Cheng Zhiyu located the wind-type zombie, cut open its head, and retrieved the crystal inside. After washing it clean, he kept it. Although no one in their group currently had wind powers, making the crystal temporarily useless, he knew these crystals were valuable—they could likely be traded for other types of crystals they could use later.

After finishing up, they cleared the zombies in front of the clinic. Since the clinic’s door had been blown off and was no longer habitable, Cheng Zhiyu took Little Black to find another place to stay.

Once they reached a safe spot, Cheng Zhiyu picked up Little Black.

Little Black: Wh-what are you doing?

Cheng Zhiyu: "Little Black, it's all thanks to you today. That wind-type zombie would’ve been hard to deal with otherwise."

Little Black flicked his tail uncomfortably. This human—always saying such embarrassing things. He turned his head away, avoiding Cheng Zhiyu’s gaze.

Cheng Zhiyu poked him. "Little Black, why aren’t you saying anything? Talk to me."

He was surprised at how quickly he’d accepted that Little Black could talk, but then again, it made sense—Little Black was a dog spirit, so why wouldn’t he be able to speak? Even if his powers weren’t strong enough to let him take human form, that didn’t mean he couldn’t talk.

And aside from the initial shock, wasn’t this actually a good thing?

So far, Cheng Zhiyu hadn’t run into any other survivors. He knew he couldn’t be the only one left—he just hadn’t encountered anyone yet. But humans are social creatures; how could he not feel lonely?

He used to be quiet, but now he’d become a chatterbox, seizing every opportunity to talk.

Although he had Xiao Er, Little Iron, and Little Black by his side, he was always the only one talking. They responded with actions, but they couldn’t communicate with him verbally.

And now—Little Black could talk!

In the chaos of dealing with the wind-type zombie, he hadn’t had time to process the joy. Now that things settled down, Little Black had gone silent.

"Little Black? Little Black, Little Black, Little Black?" Cheng Zhiyu called out repeatedly.

Unable to bear the annoyance, Little Black frowned and said impatiently, "What?"

A bright smile spread across Cheng Zhiyu’s face as he cupped Little Black’s turned-away head and gave a loud kiss on his fur. "Nothing, I just like talking to you."

Little Black: !!! Cheng Zhiyu, not again! What’s with this habit of kissing out of nowhere?

Little Black decided to tell him off. "From now on, don't you—"

Cheng Zhiyu looked at him, puzzled. "Don’t what?"

Little Black: "...Never mind."

Forget it—it wasn’t a big deal. No need to make a fuss. He’d just dodge whenever Cheng Zhiyu tried to kiss him from now on.

"Speaking of which... Little Black, how come you haven’t grown at all after all this time?" Cheng Zhiyu had been worried about this for a while but had kept it buried inside since there was nothing he could do. Now that he could communicate with Little Black, he immediately asked what was going on.

Little Black swished his tail guiltily—after all, he wasn’t actually a dog.

Before Little Black could come up with an excuse, Cheng Zhiyu said, "Is it because you’re a dog spirit? Maybe dog spirits just grow slower."

Little Black coughed lightly. "Yeah, something like that."

Cheng Zhiyu smiled in relief. "That’s good. I was worried you’d stopped growing altogether."

Little Black’s ears twitched, and he gave Cheng Zhiyu a displeased look.

Cheng Zhiyu gently pinched his ears. "What’s wrong? You’re adorable just the way you are, but I still hope you grow up. I want to see what you look like at different stages."

Little Black’s mood improved considerably. Adorable? Since when do you call a Winged Tribe member adorable? But... he could live with what Cheng Zhiyu said.

Cheng Zhiyu yawned. He’d been woken up in the middle of his sleep earlier and was still pretty tired. Holding Little Black in his arms, he said, "Let’s get some rest."

Little Black was also tired, so he didn’t protest, comfortably settling into Cheng Zhiyu’s embrace and finding a cozy spot to lie down.

He didn’t even realize how naturally and smoothly he’d gotten used to this.

Cheng Zhiyu closed his eyes but didn’t sleep deeply, remaining alert for any potential zombie attacks.

Thankfully, they slept peacefully until morning. After breakfast, Cheng Zhiyu discussed with Little Black and decided not to travel during the day.

It was simply too hot now—Cheng Zhiyu suspected it might be as high as 50 degrees. Fortunately, thanks to the cultivation technique Little Black had taught him, his physical fitness had improved significantly, so he could tolerate the heat.

Just because he could tolerate it didn’t mean it was comfortable, though. Even just after sunrise, Cheng Zhiyu felt like the soles of his shoes were melting after a short walk outside.

Compared to the day, night was much more suitable for travel. Although it was cold at night, they had red cabbage—after eating it, the nighttime temperature felt quite comfortable.

Even though they weren’t in a hurry to travel, that didn’t mean they had nothing to do. Traveling on foot was too slow, so Cheng Zhiyu decided to use this time to find a vehicle.

Given the current road conditions, cars weren’t suitable, but something else might work. Cheng Zhiyu planned to find a motorcycle.

"I’ve been here before the apocalypse. I remember there’s a motorcycle market up ahead—let’s check it out," Cheng Zhiyu called to Little Black.

Little Black stretched, leaped onto his shoulder, and tapped him with a paw, signaling they should go.

"Wait, let me grab an umbrella." The sun outside was extremely intense—enough to burn skin. Although using an umbrella was still hot, it at least provided some shade.

Besides, Little Black was covered in black fur, and black absorbed heat—he must be even more uncomfortable.

Just as Little Black was about to complain about the hassle, he heard Cheng Zhiyu say while holding the umbrella, "Does this feel better for you, Little Black?"

Little Black awkwardly patted Cheng Zhiyu with his paw.

Cheng Zhiyu didn’t insist on an answer. After speaking, he started walking toward the place he remembered.

Even with the umbrella, the sun’s heat was relentless. Frowning, Cheng Zhiyu sped up.

Just then, a fine water mist appeared around him under the umbrella. The mist touched his skin, bringing a slight coolness and momentarily driving away the stifling heat.

Cheng Zhiyu looked surprised. "Little Black, was that you?"

Little Black let out an aloof "Mm."

Cheng Zhiyu reached out and stroked him, smiling. "I never thought Water Power could be used like this."

Little Black flicked his tail with pride. There’s plenty you haven’t thought of.

"Little Black, you’re so thoughtful. You were worried I’d get too hot, right?" Cheng Zhiyu showed the classic self-delusion of every pet owner.

Little Black: I just wanted to get better at controlling my Water Power. It seems I've reached the breakthrough point. Once I break through, I'll be able to unlock the next ability.

With Little Black's mist, the journey became much more comfortable. Soon, they arrived at the place Cheng Zhiyu mentioned. There were a few roaming zombies gathered here, but not many. They dispatched them quickly.

Rows of brand-new motorcycles stood before them. Even though Cheng Zhiyu wasn't really into bikes, he had to admit these looked pretty cool.

Before the apocalypse, these motorcycles would have cost tens of thousands of yuan. Cheng Zhiyu would never have been willing to spend that much, but now he could take whatever he wanted.

Still, if given the choice, he would rather the apocalypse had never happened.

Shaking his head, he dismissed those thoughts and began looking through the rows of motorcycles. He didn't forget to ask Little Black for his opinion: "Little Black, which one do you think looks good?"

Little Black lazily flicked his tail, seeming uninterested.

Cheng Zhiyu stopped asking and finally picked a slightly smaller one—lighter and more fuel-efficient.

Naturally, the new motorcycle had no fuel. He searched around the shop and found some gas to add. There wasn't much, so it probably wouldn't last long.

But there was a gas station nearby where he could get more fuel.

The motorcycle shop likely wasn't designed for people to live in—the roof was made of tin, making the inside unbearably hot. Cheng Zhiyu didn't stay long. He let Little Black jump onto his shoulder and took the motorcycle for a spin. It felt pretty good.

They didn't return to the temporary shelter from last night. That had been picked in a rush, with safety as the only priority.

Now, Cheng Zhiyu planned to find a cooler place. He remembered a shopping mall nearby and decided to head there.

Little Black had no objections. Cheng Zhiyu rode the motorcycle, and the increased speed got them to the mall in no time.

The mall was indeed much cooler, and surprisingly, the lights were on. Cheng Zhiyu guessed there might be a backup power source that had kicked in after the blackout.

If there was backup power, then... there should be meat.

Cheng Zhiyu shared his speculation. Little Black didn't make a sound, but Cheng Zhiyu could clearly feel him sitting up straighter.

Cheng Zhiyu suppressed a laugh. The mall naturally had zombies too. As soon as the zombies caught the scent of fresh flesh, they charged over. Before Cheng Zhiyu could even react, the zombies had already been shredded. Little Black, always neat, even rinsed the ground clean.

Little Black looked at Cheng Zhiyu: Where's the meat?

Although they had fish to eat, as Cheng Zhiyu had said, eating fish every day would get boring. But asking Little Black to eat vegetarian every day? Little Black: How could a member of the Winged Tribe survive on vegetables alone?

In the past, when supplies were tight, Little Black hadn't made a fuss. But now, hearing there might be meat here, he was determined to feast.

Cheng Zhiyu's shoulders shook slightly. Meeting Little Black's puzzled gaze, he quickly said, "Ahem, it's nothing."

Soon, they found the meat section. The items in the fresh refrigerators had long since spoiled and were inedible, but the freezers still held plenty of meat.

Frozen meat isn't as good as fresh, but at a time like this, who could afford to be picky?

Unfortunately, Cheng Zhiyu's storage space was only one cubic meter—too small. Even with some space freed up, he couldn't take much.

Cheng Zhiyu: Heartache!